Spring football is in the air, and with our Spring Practice Primers the Eye On College Football Blog gets you up to speed on what to look for on campuses around the country this spring. Today we look at Stanford.

Spring Practice Started: February 27

Spring Game: April 14

Returning starters: Six on offense, seven on defense, one kicker.

Three Things To Look For:

1. Who replaces Andrew Luck? The Cardinal enter the A.L.-era - After Luck - with five quarterbacks on the roster angling to replace the best quarterback in school history. It figures to be a two-horse race however, with sophomore Brett Nottingham and junior Josh Nunes being the two head coach David Shaw will be keeping a close eye on. Nottingham was the backup all of last year but Shaw has made it clear he has to earn the top spot with his play and in the spirit of competition, likely won't name a starter until fall camp. Both guys are big, pro-style signal-callers with good arms so this will likely come down to who has the best grasp of the playbook and is most in-sync with many of the new faces on the offense.

2. Players emerging on the offensive line and at tight end, wide receiver. While Luck was the headliner in Stanford's transformation into a top 10 team, offensive linemen like Jonathan Martin and David DeCastro also had a significant role with their play along the line. The team plays physical and with a first-time starter and stable of running backs will undoubtedly try to continue to establish the ground game and use play action to open things up in the passing game. The line will be a fluid situation until fall camp, when the Cardinal's highly regarded recruiting class arrives with players who could end up making an early impression. Wide out Ty Montgomery emerged late in the year and figures to be the top target and deep threat but he needs others to emerge alongside him at receiver and tight end if the offense is going to move the ball through the air.

3. New staff gelling. Shaw starts spring practice with one spot on his coaching staff still open but hopes to find somebody to coach inside linebackers soon. Two coordinators are new in 2012, after defensive coordinator Jason Tarver jumped across the bay to the Raiders and Pete Alamar being brought on board to handle special teams following the departure of Brian Polian to Texas A&M. The biggest loss is Tarver, who did a great job last year with a unit that suffered several notable injuries. Stanford has overcome the loss of assistants before but it's always something to keep an eye on given all of the turnover on the roster. Also notable is the sudden death of long time equipment manager Ron Yamaguchi of an apparent heart attack, shocking the team and community and leaving big void in the program.

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Andrew Luck might be just the start of a Stanford exodus to the NFL Draft, since as of Tuesday afternoon he already has some Cardinal company.

Junior Stanford tackle Jonathan Martin announced via his Twitter account Tuesday that he will be forgoing his senior season in Palo Alto to enter this April's draft:

Martin could be one of two early-entrants from the Cardinal offensive line, as All-American guard David DeCastro is also expected to declare in the near future.

"#NERDs" or not, Martin and DeCastro stand to soon become some very wealthy nerds. In a tackle-light draft, Martin shapes up as an all-but-certain first-round selection and could hear his name called in the top 10. At 6'6" and 305 pounds with loads of experience both drive-blocking and pass-protecting in Stanford's pro-style scheme, the two-time first-team All-Pac-12 honoree ranks as the third tackle off the board here at CBSSports.com and the No. 13 prospect overall. (DeCastro, incidentally, ranks ninth.)

Get caught up on the early-entry announcements HERE, and all the latest rankings, mock drafts, and breaking news check out the NFL Draft Home.

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OKLAHOMA STATE WILL WIN IF: they can turn Stanford over. The Cowboys' defense has, without question, been an underrated part of their 2011 success; their lethal opportunism and weekly ballhawking ways have never gotten the respect they've deserved. No defense that led the entire FBS in takeaways -- the Cowboys finished with an incredible 42, the highest total not just in 2011 but in any of the past four seasons -- can be fairly called a "bad" defense.

But that also doesn't mean we'd go so far as to call them "good." 106th in total defense is 106th in total defense is 106th in total defense. And considering that the Cardinal rank 11th in total offense and seventh in yards-per-play, it's the safest of assumptions that Andrew Luck, Stepfan Taylor, Coby Fleener and Co. are going to put up a hefty number of yards. Sorry, Poke fans, but if Arizona, Kansas, Missouri and Iowa State can all top 430 total yards, an offense with the Cardinals' caliber of weaponry is probably going to as well.

But all those yards don't have to mean "all those points." As mentioned, the Cowboy defense was masterful at bending before breaking the other team with a huge play. (They finished in the national top 30 in sacks, too.) If safety Markelle Martin, corner Brodrick Brown and end Jamie Blatnick can continue to force that handful of turnovers -- if those turnovers, combined with just a punt or two, can give the Cowboy defense just the occasional stop -- the Cowboy offense should be able to do the rest. That's easier said than done, of course, against the Cardinal; only eight other teams turned the ball over fewer times than Stanford's 15, with Luck throwing just nine interceptions and some of those bad bounces off his receivers' hands. But if the Pokes manage it, the hill the Cardinal will have to climb should be entirely too tall even for the future No. 1 draft choice.

STANFORD WILL WIN IF: they can run the ball, and not just well--we mean run it spectacularly. Whether by air or on the ground -- as we said -- the Cardinal are likely going to get their yards. But given the explosiveness of the Cowboy offense, it's imperative for the Cardinal to keep Brandon Weeden, Justin Blackmon and Justin Randle on the sidelines for as long as possible. It's not just about limiting the Cowboys' opportunities, either; the more time the Cardinal defense can spend catching their breath off the field rather than battling the Cowboys' no-huddle on it, the better their chances of getting stops.

Thenthere's that turnover thing--with only six Cardinal fumbles lost all season, running the ball is even less likely to give the Cowvboys the turnovers they desperately crave than handing it over to Luck. The good news for the Cardinal is that all the pieces in place for such a running performance are in place; the powerful Taylor is one of the nation's more underrated running backs, Tyler Gaffney provides a tailback change-of-pace that averaged 6.4 yards an attempt, All-American guard David DeCastro leads what might be the country's best offensive line, and Luck's presence ensures that overloading the box isn't really an option for the Cowboys. It's no mystery how the Cardinal ran for 180 yards or more in half their games.

But one of those games shows how important getting that kind of production from the Cardinal ground game is so important. Against Oregon -- and a Duck offense with a similar up-tempo philosophy and dynamic athletes as Oklahoma State's -- Stanford managed just 129 rushing yards. The result was an exhausted Cardinal defense giving up 53 points, an overburdened Luck putting together his worst performance of the season, and the end of Stanford's national title hopes. 129 rushing yards against the Cowboys will, no doubt, lead to something similar.

THE X-FACTOR: Another underrated factor in Oklahoma State's historic season? Punter/placekicker Quinn Sharp. Though perhaps most fans outside of Stillwater will remember Sharp primarily for the missed kick at the end of regulation vs. Iowa State, Sharp puntedthe Cowboys to a 14th-place finish in FBS net punting and hit 20 of his 23 kicks. If the Fiesta boils down to the kicking game, Sharp should give the Cowboys an edge.

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With many draft-eligible juniors deciding to file the official evaluation paperwork with with NFL, we take a look at the hottest prospects with the option of declaring for the 2012 NFL Draft. Of the 32 players on Rob Rang's latest Big Board, 19 of them are eligible to return to school for at least one more season.

Keep up the marquee names from Rob's Big Board, with a few notable additions here at the CBSSports.com NFL Draft Early Entry Tracker.

Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama Rob Rang's Big Board Rank: 3 What's Next: BCS National Championship Game vs. LSU, Jan. 9 The Latest: Richardson has decided not to make his decision until after the title game. He suggested that he would return for another year earlier in the season, but his tone has changed since the completion of the Tide's regular season. "I'm going to sit down with coach and my mom after the last game of the season and see what's best for me and my family and see what's best for the team," Richardson explained.

Matt Kalil, OT, USC Rob Rang's Big Board Rank: 4 What's Next: USC finished the season 10-2, but was ineligible for the postseason due to NCAA sanctions. The Latest: Kalil ended any hopes of a "package deal" return with Matt Barkley when he announced his intentions to enter the NFL Draft.

Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU Rob Rang's Big Board Rank: 5 What's Next: BCS National Championship Game vs. Alabama, Jan. 9 The Latest: Claiborne won't make his decision official until after the title game, but many LSU fans expect he will take advantage of his high stock and make the jump after this season.

Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa Rob Rang's Big Board Rank: 11 What's Next: Insight Bowl vs. Oklahoma, Dec. 30 The Latest: Reiff has started the last 25 Hawkeye games, but will not make his decision until he plays at least one more. "I haven't really thought about [the NFL Draft] yet at all," Reiff said. "When the time is right, I'll sit down and think about it. Right now, I'm just worried about the bowl and bowl preparations."

'Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama Rob Rang's Big Board Rank: 12 What's Next: BCS National Championship Game vs. LSU, Jan. 9 The Latest: Kirkpatrick has not addressed the NFL Draft, and likely will not until after the title game. Some scouts have considered Kirkpatrick a little raw, which may lead to his return for another year at Alabama. But the All-American corner has not given any hint which way he is leaning.

Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford Rob Rang's Big Board Rank: 13 What's Next: Fiesta Bowl vs. Oklahoma State, Jan. 2 The Latest: Martin is considered the second best tackle in the class behind Kalil, who reportedly has decided to make the leap to the NFL. Martin has yet to give any hint which way he is leaning, though with such a high position in the eyes of most scouts it would not be surprising to see him go.

Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College Rob Rang's Big Board Rank: 14 What's Next: Boston College finished the season 4-8, missing the postseason for the first time since 1998. The Latest: The star linebacker broke school and ACC records for career tackles after leading the nation for the second year in a row with 191 tackles in 2011. The Lombardi Award winner said he hopes to announce his plans for next season "shortly after Christmas."

Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis Rob Rang's Big Board Rank: 19 What's Next: Memphis finished the season 2-10, TCU co-offensive coordinator Justin Fuente was hired to replace Larry Porter as head coach. The Tigers went 3-21 in two seasons under Porter. The Latest: Poe has "just been focusing on the here and now" and is in the process of gathering information on his draft stock. After Memphis' final game he said his mother, Sandra, will have the final say.

Mohammed Sanu, WR, Rutgers Rob Rang's Big Board Rank: 23 What's Next: Pinstripe Bowl vs. Iowa State, Dec. 30 The Latest: The official word from Rutgers' athletic department is that no underclassmen have made a decision regarding the NFL Draft, but a report last week in Metro New York claims Sanu has informed the coaching staff of his decision to return to the Scarlet Knights for one more season.

Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson Rob Rang's Big Board Rank: 26 What's Next: Orange Bowl vs. West Virginia, Jan. 4 The Latest: Dwayne Allen has submitted the NFL paperwork for an official analysis from the league, but will not make his final decision until likely early January. That will give him two weeks to make a decision before the Jan. 15 deadline.

Lamar Miller, RB, MiamiRob Rang's Big Board Rank: 32 What's Next: After a 6-6 finish, Miami declared themselves ineligible for the postseason in response to the current NCAA inquiry into the football program. The Latest: Lamar Miller has already declared his intentions to enter the 2012 NFL Draft.

Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin Rob Rang's Big Board Rank: NR What's Next: Rose Bowl vs. Oregon, Jan. 2 The Latest: Peter Konz has also submitted the official evaluation paperwork with the NFL, and will not address the decision until after the Rose Bowl. Konz missed the final three games of the season with an ankle injury, but is expected to begin practicing again soon.

Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma Rob Rang's Big Board Rank: NR What's Next: Insight Bowl vs. Iowa, Dec. 30 The Latest: Jones has applied for draft evaluation, and recently acknowledged starting to think about the decision "a little bit more." He will likely wait until after the bowl game, and hearing the results of his evaluation from the league. “If it's right for me to go, I'm going to go," Jones explained on Tuesday. "If it's right for me to stay, I'm going to stay. I just have to kind of think about it a little bit more.”

Dont'a Hightower, LB, Alabama Rob Rang's Big Board Rank: NR What's Next: BCS National Championship Game vs. LSU, Jan. 9 The Latest: Hightower will not make an official decision until after the bowl game, but many expect the All-American linebacker to make the jump after this season.Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois Rob Rang's Big Board Rank: NR What's Next: Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl vs. UCLA, Dec. 31 The Latest: The All-American defensive end has been busy collecting end-of-season honors and has not made an official announcement, but Sports Illustrated's Tony Pauline reports that Mecilus will likely forgo his final season with the Illini and go pro.

Stephen Gilmore, CB, South CarolinaRob Rang's Big Board Rank: NRWhat's Next: Capital One Bowl vs. Nebraska, Jan. 2The Latest: Like Jeffery and the rest of the South Carolina juniors, Gilmore has applied for evaluation from the NFL. Assistant coach Lorenzo Ward believes a "first or second round grade" from the evaluation would convince the junior to enter the draft.

Orson Charles, TE, GeorgiaRob Rang's Big Board Rank: NRWhat's Next: Outback Bowl vs. Michigan State, Jan. 2The Latest: Charles has applied for NFL evaluation along with the rest of his draft eligible teammates. "It's really going to come down to what the Lord wants me to do," Charles explained. "I'm going to pray about it, talk to my family and definitely wait until after the Michigan State game, and take it from there."

The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) announced its 68th annual All-America team on Sunday. The list is headlined by Heisman favorite Robert Griffin III of Baylor, and top-ranked LSU put three defenders on the team this year. Alabama, who is set to face LSU in the BCS Championship Game, leads all schools with five FWAA All-Americans. Here's this year's roster in full:

The season has wrapped, the bowl games are set and it's time to hand out some awards. As part of CBSSports.com's look at the regular season, here is the best of the Pac-12 conference, which placed three teams in the top 10 in the first year as a 12 team league.

Awards

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Andrew Luck, quarterback, Stanford

A redshirt junior, Luck led the Cardinal to a second consecutive 11-1 regular season and was named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Against Notre Dame, Luck set a new school record for touchdown passes and broke the Stanford career record held by John Elway with 80 in three seasons. The Cardinal offense averaged 43.6 points per game this year and 480.9 yards of total offense and no one in the conference has meant more to an offense than Luck does to his. Thus, the future top draft pick is CBSSports.com's Pac-12 Player of the Year. Just as important, the native Texan also came back to complete his degree during his final semester on the Farm - in architectural design

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Mychal Kendricks, linebacker, California

A tackling machine during his time in Berkeley, Kendricks once again led the Bears in tackles and was fourth in the conference in tackles per game. He also had 13 tackles for a loss, two interceptions and helped lead the Cal defense to rank 27th nationally in total defense.

FRESHMEN OF THE YEAR

Marqise Lee (USC) and De'Anthony Thomas (Oregon)

Both players from the Los Angeles area burst onto the scene early and produced highlight play after highlight play for their teams this season. Lee finished the season with 73 catches for 1,143 yards and 11 touchdowns while paired with his former high school teammate Robert Woods. He was instrumental in USC's upset win over Oregon with 187 yards receiving and a total of 325 all-purpose yards. Thomas set a Ducks freshman record with 16 touchdowns and ended the year with 1,921 all-purpose yards to finish second in the Pac-12 to his teammate LaMichael James.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Lane Kiffin, USC

In his second season in charge of the Trojans, Kiffin has deflected criticism and NCAA sanctions to finish 10-2 and ranked in the top five in the country. Despite having one of the youngest teams in the country, USC finished 17th in the country in total offense in 2011 and the defense jumped nearly 30 spots nationally. Under Kiffin the team essentially won the Pac-12 South division and beat rivals Notre Dame and UCLA. USC lost to 4th-ranked Stanford in triple overtime but ended Oregon's 19-game winning streak.

All-Pac-12 Offense

QUARTERBACK

Matt Barkley, USC

Wait, the player of the year wasn't the best quarterback? Such was the case in the Pac-12, which had an embarrassing amount of good signal-callers. Barkley took the leap to another level this season despite his two best wide receivers being underclassmen. The junior passed for a school and conference record 39 touchdowns against just seven interceptions and threw for 3,528 yards. Though Barkley wasn't named a Heisman finalist or had the same load to shoulder in the offense like Luck, he makes the first team as the best quarterback in the conference. You could say the margin at quarterback was so thin between the two that Luck's receiving abilities put him over the top for player of the year.

RUNNING BACK

LaMichael James, Oregon, and John White, Utah

Despite missing two games, James still led the conference in rushing with 1,646 yards - 242 yards more than second place White. The flashy Ducks running back also led the nation in yards per game and was third in total purpose yardage. In his first year in a BCS AQ conference, White certainly made a lasting impression as the focal point of the Utes offense that dealt with plenty of injuries.

WIDE RECEIVER

Marquess Wilson, Washington State, and Robert Woods, USC

Here's a scary thought if you're a Pac-12 defense, four of the top five receivers in the league were either a freshman or sophomore. That includes Wilson and Woods (both sophomores) who turned in brilliant seasons that land both of them on the All-Pac-12 team. Wilson is a name many people don't know about because he plays on the Palouse but he led the Pac-12 in receiving yards and averaged nearly 17 yards per catch. Woods was hampered by injury late in the year but still finished with a school and conference record 111 catches to go with his 15 touchdowns.

TIGHT END

Coby Fleener, Stanford

It was pretty much a lock for one of the Cardinal's tight ends to fill this spot given their role in the offense. Fleener turned in a productive senior campaign, leading all tight ends in yards (648) and touchdowns (10). He also finished the year with an impressive 20.3 yards per catch.

There were plenty of great quarterbacks and offenses in the Pac-12 this year and one reason why was the abundance of great offensive linemen. Stanford allowed nine sacks all year while USC allowed a nation's best eight.

All-Pac-12 Defense

Perry led the league in solo sacks with nine, good enough for 12th in the nation, and had 14 tackles for loss this season. Jordan wasn't too far behind him in terms of numbers and was an issue for opposing offensive lines all year. Lotulelei was the top nose tackle in conference and Long was one of the bright spots in an average Wazzu defense.

Kendricks was an impact player for Cal's stingy defense and Thomas led the conference in tackles for a loss and was second in sacks. Hoffman-Ellis didn't put up gaudy stats but was a strength on the Cougars defense.

Despite his size, Robey locked up opposing receivers and forced quarterbacks to throw to the other side of the field while McDonald roamed around and delivered some vicious hits. The Ducks defense wasn't quite as sharp as it was last season but it was still tough to throw against Pleasant and Boyett, who helped Oregon finish with 16 interceptions.

Heidari made 15-of-17 field goals and every extra point this year. Rice led the Pac-12 in punting and was sixth in the nation with an average of 45.6 yards per punt. Opponents returned just 12 of his punts and he was also named a finalist for the Ray Guy Award for the country's top punter. Thomas had two kick returns for touchdowns and averaged nearly 30 yards a return.

On Tuesday the AFCA (American Football Coaches Association) released it's 2011 All-America Team. Which means that these are the best players in the country as chosen by the men who coach for and against them every week. There are five members on this team from Alabama, which is the second most players ever selected from one school in any given season. The most belongs to the 2003 Oklahoma Sooners who had six members on the team.

Justin Blackmon and LaMichael James are the only players on the team who were selected last season.

As for potential snubs, I'm not going to make too big a deal out of any one position because every year there are a lot of players who deserve the honor that don't make the cut. Though I will point out how Robert Griffin didn't make the team, and many are predicting he's going to win the Heisman Trophy. Then there's Tyrann Mathieu who is another Heisman finalist, yet he didn't make the team while his secondary teammate Morris Claiborne did.

I also have to point out that Brad Wing should be the punter on every postseason team this year, I don't care that he's only a freshman.

STANFORD WON: The Cardinal's first road test of the season -- no, Duke doesn't count, and don't pretend it does -- wound up more of an easily-passed pop quiz down the stretch. Andrew Luck led three consecutive touchdown drives of 80 yards or more in the second half, turning what had been a tight 16-10 game at the half into a laugher. Luck finished 20-of-31 for 325 yards, 2 touchdowns, and -- of course -- no interceptions, while tailback Stepfan Taylor racked up a career high 153 yards on 22 carries.

WHY STANFORD WON: As you might imagine from stats like those from Luck and Taylor, the Cardinal offense pretty much had its way with the Wildcat defense, particularly in the second half. When you've finished the evening with 567 total yards of offense and no turnovers, that's not a bad night's work.

But it wasn't just the Cardinals' skill position marvels ... and in fact, it was maybe less those marvels than the Cardinal offensive line, which led by All-American guard David DeCastro took over the game after halftime. Three times in the first half, the Cardinal took long drives deep into Wildcat territory only to come away with a Jordan Williamson field goal. In the second, with DeCastro and Co. exerting their will on a clearly tiring and undersized Arizona line, those long drives turned into touchdowns. And the game? It turned into a rout.

WHEN STANFORD WON: Despite a Williamson field goal with 1:22 left in the second quarter and Jaime Salazar's errant try from 45 yards at the halftime buzzer, the Wildcats still came out of the locker room with momentum after briefly looking like Stanford might run away and hide at 10-0. And tailback Keola Antolin capitalized on that momentum, rushing for 49 yards on two plays to set the Wildcats up at the Stanford 19.

But Nick Foles missed on a pair of passes and the Wildcats' old bugaboo -- the placekicking game -- reared its ugly head again. Salazar came on to try a 36-yarder that would cut the lead to 3, and from the middle of the field, no less. But he missed, and the "here we go again" body language from the Arizona sideline was unmistakable. By the time the Wildcats put together another drive featuring more than a single first down, they were down 30-10 and the game was well over.

WHAT STANFORD WON: Their Pac-12 opener, nothing to sneeze at, and on the road no less. But the comfortable nature of the victory showed that yes, the Cardinal are still going to be a championship-contending force to be reckoned with, Jim Harbaugh or no Jim Harbaugh.

WHAT ARIZONA LOST: Their second straight game, which given the competition -- Oklahoma State last week, Stanford this week -- isn't so bad. But to lose by 27 points at home even with Foles enjoying a productive night (24-of-33, 249 yards, no picks) can't provide a lot of encouragement for this coming Saturday's visit from Oregon.